


sparrows and their songs

by Darkyy



Category: Warriors - Erin Hunter
Genre: Bad Flirting, Domestic Fluff, F/F, Fluff, Minor Character Death
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-19
Updated: 2020-02-19
Packaged: 2021-02-28 02:28:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,386
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22796320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Darkyy/pseuds/Darkyy
Summary: on sunny days i go out walkingi end up on a tree lined streeti look up at the gaps of sunlighti miss you more than anythingfrancis forever ─ mitskisnippets of fawncloud and scarletfrost throughout their lives
Relationships: Original Female Character/Original Female Character
Kudos: 3





	sparrows and their songs

**Author's Note:**

> i love these girls so much

Her father had taught her how to hunt when she was four moons old. Barely grown out of her kit fur, with paws too big and wonder in her eyes. When her paws stumbled, and her gaze wandered, he would scowl and criticize her. With his besmirching came a lingering guilt.

When he was truly disappointed, he would turn away from her; His ears drawn back and tail lashing. 

"Doeflower would be better at this," He would mutter.

Doeflower was better at him than a lot of things, in the annals of his memory. Her gentle, guiding paws were lost on her father's archaic ways. It was there Fawn learned of her mother─ racing alongside deer, cultivating herbs and flowers, skillfully plucking mice from their burrows─ from her father's mutterings, her mother was the protégé of legendary warriors, and was one of myth herself. Her mother lives in the grooves of the cedarwood forest, in the pretty curly q flowers, in storms borne of lashing rain and howling winds.

Despite her envy of her father's lost attention, she cannot help but yearn for a mother she never got to meet.

Her siblings wait for her return with bright smiles and open paws.

Her sister, Kestrelwing, regales her stories and poems and sonnets of cats bathed in starlight, and aids her in hunting.

Her brother, Sagedusk, watches from the shade of hawthorn trees and calls to her with a steady voice. She spends her kit days with them, until she doesn't.

"May you never resign yourself to such a fate," Her father hisses to her, standing over Sagedusk's cooling body. Fawn does the only thing she can, and runs.

──

The greenleaf nights were warm and waning under Thunderstar's heat. The squirrel caught between Fawnpaw's claws was warm, too, despite it's struggling. Fawnpaw watched with owlish, intrigued eyes at it's dismay; Pathetic kicks of its slim, foreign paws, the fear in its eyes were not lost on Fawnpaw. She knew that struggling fear, and took pity.

Leaning down, she rid the squirrel of its misery. Now that her prey's body was cooling, she could carry on. She picked up the squirrel gingerly, careful not to let blood drip on her paws before she padded forward. In the dense undergrowth, it was quiet. Peaceful. The stars twinkled down at her silently, watching her pace lightly across the glenn. 

Fawnpaw buzzed with quiet energy as she set her prey down, taking a sip from the chattering brook. Sweet peas framed the stream, hanging over the water and casting soft shadows. Chubs and minnows swam past, spooked by Fawnpaw's presence.

Or perhaps, someone else's presence.

The apprentice jolted at a snap of twigs, a quiet curse sounding from across the border. Fawnpaw stood, heart hammering in her chest. No no no no, if it's that rogue again─

A rosey, wine colored molly rose from the thicket of evergreen trees, her seafoam green eyes catching the light. Her whiskers twitched, an off-white filament that curled out from her face. She looked young, still bearing the remnants of kit-fluff flowing from her cheeks and chest. Velvety and smooth.

The stranger wore a sheepish smile, ears tipped back in embarrassment. 

"Uh… hi!" She squeaks, then, as though shocked by her own voice, clears her throat and tries again. "I mean… _hey_."

Fawnpaw can't help herself, and giggles, just a little. This seems to be a positive thing though, because the molly looks quite pleased with herself.

Though she was still on edge, Fawnpaw relaxed, just a little. She could see Scarletpaw relaxing, too, tense shoulders unwinding and slumping forward.

"Hey to you, too," Fawnpaw murmurs, paws shuffling.

There's a beat of silence, Scarletpaw coughs.

"You uh… come here often?"

"More than I'd like to admit," Fawnpaw concedes, eyes darting away. 

"Cool, me too!" Scarletpaw chirps. Not the response she was expecting, Fawnpaw's ears prick in intrigue. The dark furred molly's vivid green eyes reflected the brook, and further hidden, her excitement. 

Fawnpaw stares down at the brook again, as Scarletpaw pads forward until they're parallel to one another. "I, uh, like all the flowers an' stuff," Fawn mumbles. Scarletpaw nods, agreeing. She tilts her head back, staring up at the stars, "I like the view."

Shaking her head, Fawnpaw hums thoughtfully. "What's your name?" She asks.

"I'm Scarletpaw, I'm a ShadowClan apprentice!" Scarletpaw puffs out her chest, expression a mix of pride and complacency.

Fawnpaw smiles a little, eyes crinkling around the edges. "Nice to meet you, Scarletpaw of ShadowClan. I'm Fawnpaw! A, uh, ThunderClan apprentice." Fawnpaw replies, though with less confidence.

She glances up at the moon, now rising far into the sky. The stars were clear, and twinkled down at her dimly. Her pelt twitched as she yawned, blinking vigorously to keep the sleep from her eyes.

If Scarletpaw notices, she doesn't say anything.

"I better get going, my mentor will want to know where I am," Fawnpaw says, rising to her paws. As she pads away with her prey, Scarletpaw calls out after her. "Bye, Fawnpaw!"

──

They meet again, this time when the sun is high and the air is stifling. The meadow is heady with the scent of lavender and jasmine. Fawnpaw crouches beneath the frays of a butterfly tree, clouded with white admirals which dip and sway with the wind. She delicately grabs the stems of marigolds between her teeth, and uproot them with ease. They come out of the ground with a soft snap, and Fawnpaw sits up and suppresses a sneeze.

One might think it odd for a warrior apprentice to be picking herbs, but Fawnpaw didn't mind. Swansong had sent her off to collect marigold and thyme, and the apprentice was more than happy to be out of camp.

To be out of camp gave her more time to think. With thinking came some feelings she didn't want to linger on. The summery sweet voice of Swansong, Lilypaw's excited ramblings, the velvety purr of that ShadowClan apprentice, Scarletpaw. They all made Fawnpaw's fur twitch and heat up, and her heart scorch in her chest. She just couldn't place why.

It was frustrating. Fawnpaw picked her way through spires of lavender and magnolias, head peeking just above the petals. Surely she didn't like any of them. Swansong was the medicine cat, Lilypaw was her friend, and Scarletpaw was a stranger! And yet, stranger still, they were all mollies. Fawnpaw could not like mollies. Her father would be disappointed, and maybe mad. But he was mad at her about everything. She accepted that, at this point.

(And when Sagedusk had died at his paws, she was angry. Angry at her father who was angry at the world.)

Sighing, she set down her marigold and started to collect the thyme. It's downy green-brown sprigs were painted gold in the sunlight, the color of barley on a cool afternoon. She stripped the bush of it's branches, teeth grasping sprays of thyme; feathery green leaves pressed against her cheek, curling against her whiskers. She set them down and nosed them into a neat pile, always one for tidiness.

A prickle in her pelt made her shiver. It felt colder now- or perhaps it was just the breeze? She blinked and pulled away, craning her neck up to scan the canopies, then dropped down to the treeline. 

She almost didn't notice a pair of eyes glinting from across the border. Green and bright and fervent, blending in with the nature surrounding them. She could barely make out the flare of dark fur, hidden behind bramble bushes and framed by honeysuckle and yellow acacias.

They stared at each other a few moments longer; the sound of birdsong started to seep through. There came a _fwefwefwefwe_ of a warbler, and Fawnpaw started to breathe again. The bushes rustled as a head poked out, followed by Scarletpaw untangling herself from the branches of the bramble bush. 

Now she looked less like a spooky set of eyes and more like a ruffled raspberry of a cat. Fawnpaw offered a smile, rising to stand fully. 

" _Heeey_ ," Scarletpaw smiled back, sheepish and soft.

"Hey," Fawnpaw purred, a small giggle bubbling out of her throat. It was not unkind, and her tail kinked over her back amiably. 

They stood between a scent line, a border marking. The scent of cedarwood, sweet woodruff and milkweed drifted from across the ShadowClan border, curling around Fawnpaw and sticking to her fur.

"Didn't mean to spook you… again," Scarletpaw coughed, eyes darting away, "I was just hunting and I saw you picking herbs…" She shook her head, "Are you a medicine cat apprentice?" She asked, squinting at the thyme and marigold at her paws.

Fawnpaw's ears flit back, and she steps in front of the herbs as though to hide them. Her too-big paws nearly crush the marigold petals. 

"I─ I'm a warrior apprentice," she replies, cursing the stammer in her voice. "Swansong─ our medicine cat─ just asked me to help with collecting herbs." This seems to quell Scarletpaw, for she nods understandingly.

"Well, not-medicine-cat-apprentice-Fawnpaw, what're you doing so close to the ShadowClan border?" She asks, looking more and more like a cat who caught the canary. Fawnpaw rolls her eyes, mouth opening to respond when Scarletpaw continues. "You're breaking the code, looking so cute like that."

Fawnpaw splutters, fur heating up dramatically as she nearly stumbles standing still. Scarletpaw looks pleased though, blinking innocuously despite her coquettish comment. The ThunderClan apprentice coughs, forcing her fur to settle. 

"Um," Fawnpaw stammers, very much caught off guard. Her face must be ridiculous right now. "Thanks?" She ducks her head awkwardly. 

"I─ I guess you'd be breaking the code, too. It shouldn't be allowed to be that pretty!" She fires back, though her delivery is less smooth than Scarletpaw's. 

The ShadowClan apprentice grins. Just as she's about to fire off another flirtatious comment, somebody calls her name.

Scarletpaw beams at her, tail raised in the air as an apology. "See ya!" She exclaims, before running off into the bramble bushes.

Fawnpaw is left alone with her thyme and marigold, and her heart beats so fast she's afraid her ribs will come apart. On the trek back to camp, all she can think about is the flirty ShadowClan apprentice.

──

Windstar seems to race along the treeline, swooping between maples and pulling all the leaves from their branches. She claws the barks of cedar and leaves hollow troves that house mice nests.

Fawnpaw sits with Scarletpaw by the brook they first met, settled over the water.

"Truth or dare?" Scarlet prompts, tail flicking to and fro excitedly.

"Dare!" Fawn replies, though she is nervous for what her friend has in store for her.

Scarlet seems to think for a moment, before bounding off without comment. Fawnpaw stares at the rustling bramble bushes where she leaves, confusion lacing her gaze. It must be a big dare if Scarletpaw has gone off on her lonesome!

The ShadowClan apprentice returns fairly quick. There's something green and round hanging from her jaws, eyes bulging out of its head morbidly. Ah. A frog.

Fawnpaw suppresses a gag as Scarletpaw pads back to her, setting the grotesque looking frog at her paws. She made a face, taking a few steps away. Anything to distance herself from that disgusting mess of a creature. Scarletpaw grins, bobbing her head at the frog. "I dare you to eat this frog!"

Fawnpaw, never one to give up on a dare, grits her teeth. She takes two steps forward, her frown only deepens the closer she gets. She takes a wary glance at the frog, then glares at Scarletpaw.

"Fuck you," she says simply, with all the conviction of a cross elder. Then she leans down, and takes a big ol' bite.

Instantly, she feels the consequence of her action. Regret washes over her like a flood. The frog's insides spill onto her tongue, spraying guts and mucus. It roils in her mouth, awful and slimy and all things terrible. Apparently, Scarletpaw finds this much more amusing than Fawnpaw does, because she's practically on the floor, peels of laughter erupting from her mouth. 

Fawnpaw was so caught up in her disgust, she barely noticed the butterflies flapping in her chest like caged birds. Or perhaps that was the bile rising in her throat.

She spits it up in the stream, washing her mouth with dramatically huge gulps of water. Anything to get the frog out of her system and her life.

──

Shadowstar’s bitter chill came much too soon. Before she knew it, the forest was enveloped in powdery white. Frost lined the dead trees, sparkling pale like birch. When Fawnpaw awoke, her paws were frosty and cold, and her teeth chattered as though she were frozen like an icicle. She shoved her way out of the apprentices’ den, greeted by the sight of blinding snow. 

Rabbitwhisker had given her the day off of training because of the snow, and that was perfectly fine with her. Fawnpaw, though, was not fine with being stuck in camp. She scanned the clearing, looking totally not suspicious as she idled by the dirtplace tunnel. Pumpkinstar sat on the highrock, though she looked more like an orange snowman than her leader. Swansong was bringing the elders their herbs, and the rest of the clan were presumably in their nests. 

Or not.

"Ack!" Fawnpaw yelps, as pain shoots through her tail. Leaping away, she whips around to face the culprit. 

" _Mothpaw_ ," She grunts, forcing her fur to lie flat. The tom laughs at her whilst she licks her chest, ears heating up in embarrassment. 

"Got you!" Mothpaw snickers, his tail flicking to and fro. "Now, where are you off to?" His eyes narrow incrementally, shit-eating grin on his face and all.

Fawnpaw splutters, shaking her head as her paws stumble over each other. "The dirtplace, you dolt! Where else?" She hisses, though her words have no real bite. 

"If you're going to the dirtplace, why are you just standing here and looking around like you're lost?" He asks, rolling his eyes. He makes a face, presumably to reenact her lost look, before he's splashed with snow. His ears flit back, and he stumbles, shaking his head to get the slush off.

Fawnpaw takes this chance to run off. Before she's halfway down the tunnel, Mothpaw's voice echoes. "Hey! We're not done with this!" She snickers; Shoving out of the dirtplace tunnel, she cuts a path off into the bushes. The snow is less dense here, and she should relax as she strolls freely out of camp. But she can't.

_Scarletpaw, Scarletpaw, Scarletpaw… Ugh! She's all I can think about─ I can't moon over a ShadowClan apprentice, that's against the code!_ She thinks, agitated. They were friends, that wasn't against the code, she knew. But she couldn't get the pretty ShadowClan molly out of her head. Even if she had made her eat a frog… Shuddering, Fawnpaw shakes her head and marches off toward the glenn. 

The leafbare light filters down on her, white and blinding and cold. Even with her thick pelt, the wind still bites.

She ends up at the glenn with a memory of Scarletpaw looping in her head. The stream is frozen over when she reaches it. Her reflection stares back at her as she stands on the ice, a crackling sound beneath her paws. It doesn't break. She sits and waits. Watches the dead bushes and trees become coated with snow, watches the sun slowly pass through the sky. She waits.

Scarletpaw never comes, yet she's all Fawnpaw can think about. 

_Damn the stars_ , she thinks as she turns away from the glenn, her waiting fruitless. _Damn you, Scarletpaw_. 

She doesn't really mean it.

──

(They sit together, on a chilly night, staring up at the stars.

"Do you ever wish you had a different life?" Fawnpaw asks,

"Yes," Scarletpaw responds, gaze losts in a sea of constellations, "Yes I do.")

──

("I do, too." Fawnpaw whispers, when Scarletpaw falls asleep with her head nuzzled into Fawnpaw's chest.)

──

They walk together in the dawn's light, the leafbare sun emitting white radiant light on the Clans. Shadowstar is forgiving, this dawn, for Fawnpaw was able to get out of her apprentice duties without a hitch. They pace on the edges of ThunderClan territory, close enough to the towering pines that if they were found, they could lie and say Scarletpaw had simply wandered over the border by accident. It wasn't completely believable, but it was enough to get them in the least amount of trouble.

Silence hangs in the air, thick but not stiflingly so. 

Scarletpaw pauses in the groove of a butterfly tree, stripped bare of its pretty lilacs. Snowdrops drooped at her paws, white whorls of petals and vibrant green highlighting the raspberry molly. 

"I want to join ThunderClan," she murmurs.

Fawnpaw's ears prick. She had said it so soft, she must have misheard.

"I want to join ThunderClan." She repeats, her voice clear and full of conviction, soaking up all the warmth of the sun.

Fawnpaw stifles a choke, nearly stumbling over a tree root. She pauses under the shade of a hawthorn tree, it's low lying branches casting white against green. 

"You're sure?" Fawnpaw asked, blinking owlishly.

"Of course I am. ShadowClan feels less like a home and more like a prison. I cannot be loyal to a clan that has shackled me." Scarletpaw murmured, her gaze downcast. 

They stand in silence as it starts to snow. Fawnpaw feels her heart stutter in her chest.

"Okay… okay." Scarletpaw looked up, eyes sparking. Fawnpaw gazed at her friend warmly, tail leaving round circles in the settling snow. "I'd be glad to have you in ThunderClan."

"I'd be glad to call it my home," Scarletpaw sighs, her voice wavering. The tall apprentice slumps over, burrowing her muzzle into the junction of where Fawnpaw's neckline met her shoulder. Her breaths blew warm air on Fawn's ear, her head craning to accommodate her friend. Wetness on her shoulder made Fawnpaw jolt, jostling Scarletpaw minutely. Her labored breathing turned shallow and soft. She hiccuped, chest jumping; Scarletpaw cried into Fawnpaw's fur.

Fawnpaw nuzzled her head against Scarletpaw's cheek, their whiskers brushing and breath puffing frosty white. Scarlet makes a soft noise, high and airy. Fawnpaw cries with her.

──

When they get their warrior names, they celebrate quietly. The snow falls thick and powdery white. There are no bird calls, no flowering bushes, no hawthorn trees to sit beneath the shade. Just the night and shared warmth and chattering teeth. 

They share a look as the moon rises: small smiles and excited eyes. They lean against each other as the snow sticks to their fur, painting them like angels in the midst of a starry, cold night. Scarletfrost's gaze is bright and clear, so full of happiness Fawncloud might burst from it. 

Snowflakes land on Scarletfrost's nose; A sneeze erupts from the tall molly. Fawncloud stifles her laughter, and nudges her friend. She leans in close, muzzle brushing against muzzle, and calls her her snowflake. She whispers so soft and tenderly, surely not even StarClan can hear her. Her breath fogs up the air, curling around them in a mist. The world is quiet and blind and cold, but Scarletfrost is warm.

Her Snowflake smiles, returns her affections. Calls her _sunshine_ and _my light_ and _my home._

Her home.

Fawncloud likes that.

──

Her friend had always been there for her, no matter the cause of her malaise. Scarletfrost had stuck by her side through thick and thin, and now was no different. It wasn't uncommon to spend a lot of time alone together- enough time that her old mentor had teased her asking if they were mates yet.

(She swiped her mentor over the ears with a huff. Rabbitwhisker laughed.)

Their relationship was simple, yet intricately complicated at the same time. They supported one another, they were there for eachother, they joked and shared tongues and nests. They shared knowing looks and secretive smiles. Yet Scarletfrost was still guarded and reserved, and Fawncloud's mood flip-flopped like the weather.

She couldn't deny, frustratingly, the flutter of her heart in her chest when Scarlet laughed particularly loud at her joke, or when her fur heated up when Scarlet looked at her as though she was the world. She could not deny the elated rush she got when her friend brought her her favorite prey or when she called her Fawny.

In Fawncloud's opinion, she was lucky to have her Snowflake.

Her musings were interrupted as her friend poked her head in. Speak of the Dark Forest and They shall appear, Fawncloud thought, amused. 

"Fawny?" Scarletfrost asked, peering down at the small molly. Fawn blinked up innocuously at Scarletfrost, her expression light. "Yes?"

Scarletfrost lit up in a grin, but her restless paws exuded apprehension. She was practically bouncing up and down. "C'mere, I've got something to show you!" 

Rising to her paws, Fawncloud grinned back and shook out her fur. "Alright, alright," she mews. "I'm coming."

…

Soon enough, they're out in the forest. Fawncloud knows the path they're taking. Still, she can't help but get excited. They cross a log over the brook, it's bark smooth under her paws. Occasionally, Fawncloud stops to sniff at a patch of flowers, or to watch beetles mingle. Scarletfrost ushers her along impatiently. Riverstar's dying sunlight casted warm rays on both of them, and Fawncloud could not help but admire her friend. Her happiness and excitement was contagious, and Fawn's own paws tingled with apprehension. 

Ahead of her, Scarletfrost disappears through bramble bushes, cloudberries bouncing as their leaves shivered. Fawncloud follows.

As Fawncloud pushes through the bramble bushes, she squints her eyes against the dying light, and lets out a soft gasp. Before her was the beautiful evening sky, the sun descending beneath the horizon as stars started to poke through the expanse of blue and orange. The fragrant scent of summer lilac and cloudberries hung in the air. Swaths of bluebells shivered as she padded forward gingerly. And then there was─

Scarletfrost. She stood in such a way that the sun was framed against her back, its rays casting a shadow on Fawncloud. Her eyes sparkled with fondness as she watched Fawncloud gape quietly. Her pelt swathed with flowers, daisy chains wrapped around her head; She was beautiful. So, so beautiful. Fawncloud wanted to cry- the tears were already springing to her eyes, her breath hitching.

"Is this…" Fawncloud's words catch in her throat. She huffs out a half sob, trying to blink away the tears. She wipes a paw over her wet eyes, and shakes her head. "Is this for me?"

Scarletfrost snorts, not unkindly, and turns her head towards the setting sun. Her eyes glint in the light, a burning, vivid green. "Of course," she murmurs. She settles her haunches on the ground and pats the empty space next to her inviting. Fawncloud sniffles and sits next to the taller molly. 

It sets her heart aflame in her chest; she thinks surely that it will burn right through her ribs and muscles and fur, until it scorches, hot as the sun, into the air. She settles for resting herself against Scarletfrost, watching as the sun dips slowly below the horizon. Scarletfrost presses back, their whiskers brushing where she rests her chin atop Fawncloud's head.

...

They settle into the grass as the moon rises. It's a claw mark in the sky, white as bone and glowing softly. The soil is cold and firm against Fawncloud's warm body, and before she can stop it, a shiver races up her spine and ruffles her fur. Out of the corner of her eye, Scarletfrost watches her quietly.

The night is long but Scarletfrost is warm. Fawncloud presses her cheek against the ground, her face tickled by grass. At the edge of her vision, an oath beetle skitters past. Scarletfrost stares back, eyes swimming with an emotion unknown to Fawncloud. She wants to open her up, like a key to a lock, wants to hear about her worries and fears and reassure her she'll always be there. Scarletfrost breathes out, blowing warm, steady air against Fawncloud's face.

After a long pause, Fawncloud inclines her head forward. "Hey," It captures Scarlet's attention, "you alright?"

Scarletfrost smiles wanly, and the look is gone as fast as it appeared. "Yeah… yeah, I'm alright."

"You don't look quite alright," Fawn presses, tail flicking back and forth and disturbing the grass with a _fwip-fwip-fwip_. Scarlet's expression wavers, ears twitching back minutely.

"What's on your mind, snowflake?" (Fawncloud pretends not to notice Scarletfrost's fur twitching at the nickname.)

"It's nothing."  
"Oh really? Just nothing?"

"I…" Scarletfrost trails off, breathing hard through her nose. Fawncloud fears she's crossed some invisible line, some boundary they've yet to set. Scarletfrost has never denied her pushing.

"I… don't know. I don't know, Fawny. I think I need something, I just don't know what."

There's a pull in Fawncloud's chest, a sadness. I can help, she thinks, please let me help. Fawncloud shares Scarletfrost's wavering smile, "Then let me help you find out."

Scarletfrost huffs a laugh, soft and sad. Fawncloud wants to cry.

"I'll be anything you want me to be."  
"I don't think I believe you,"  
"I'll be your home, if that's what you need."

Scarletfrost falls silent, and the distance between them seems so huge; the warmth wanes, the night so vast. 

"Then be my home. Please. Be my foundation. My sunshine, my light. Be there for me, is all I ask."

Fawncloud breathes out, presses a trembling, cool paws against Scarletfrost's cheek and brushes her stiff whiskers, "I love you."

It feels like a weight has been lifted from her chest, and her head is dizzy with giddiness. The guilt seeps from her body, until all that's left is light. A nightingale sings, breaking the silence. Scarletfrost smiles, and for the second time that night, Fawncloud cries.

"I love you," Scarletfrost whispers, "I love you, I love you, I love you."

It isn't shouted, or called, or sung, or cheered. It's quiet, soft, reserved. Scarletfrost loves her in the quiet of the night where a nightingale sings, and the summer lilacs sway in the wind, and the bluebells shiver. Scarletfrost loves her, in her own way, and that is enough.


End file.
